or worse
by physixidiot
Summary: "Stop blushing, Malfoy. People might think I've slapped you, or worse, kissed you." Set during Goblet of Fire, a day before the Yule Ball


**"** **It's the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world."**  
― Tahereh Mafi, _Ignite Me_

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Hermione Granger was walking furiously towards the library. After the incident with Ron earlier, she felt she would better be in the library rather than staying up in the common room with Ron still bickering about her Yule Ball date. Damn him and his 5-years-old temper! He just figured that she in fact is a female? And thought that no guy in this school, heck plus the Durmstrang would never set their eyes on her? Who does he think he is? Only if he knew that the one and only Viktor Krum has asked her to be his date yesterday, but she, none other than the plain Hermione Granger has politely declined his offer. Now, now with all the Ron stuffs, she wished she would've just accepted to be Krum's date, just to prove that all the things Ron has stated were wrong!

She stormed off the library then went straight to her usual sitting spot. She snort silently when she spotted him sitting at his usual spot; right in front of hers. She then pulled out her edition of Hogwarts A History; her all time favorite book into the desk then began reading it quietly.

 _ **Bad day, Granger?**_

The words appeared on the little notebook he gave her 2 weeks prior. She glanced at him and saw his indifference expression. She had remembered it correctly the reason why they had started using this magical notebook; 'where one who owns the notebook shall write, then the other one who owns the other notebook shall read' that's what she read about the notebook description on one of the book in the library the other day.

 _《_ _FLASHBACK《_

 _"Malfoy" she whispered his name quietly. It was now 10 pm and all the students are supposed to be sleeping peacefully at their dorm, but here they are, sitting in the library, reading another book every once in a while. This had just proved to be their somewhat odd routine meetings. Every night, Malfoy and she always spent their night reading on the library, starting from 10 pm until usually 1 or 2 in the morning._

 _Neither of them had admit it verbally that this now is a 'thing' for them every night, when either one of them didn't come to the library for one reason or another, the other one would feel rather lonely. For first it was so hard for both of them keeping up with each other presence, but as the time flies they learned just to accept it. And if they both keep shouting at one another, then it'll be easier for Filch to caught them for staying up after curfew._

 _"Sshh, Granger! I'm reading here.." He answered without even bothering to face her._

 _"Malfoy!" She was whispering a little bit louder now._

 _Malfoy who seemed interrupted by her voice, now stopped his reading then shot up a glare at her._

 _"Granger, look. Your voice ruined my reading here."_

 _"Well, if you just-"_

 _"Do us a favor, and instead of talking with that annoying little voice of yours, write what you're going to say instead." He gave her what seemed like an ancient brown notebook with golden linings on its sides._

 _She then took it then write what she's about to say to him. Just the moment she returned the notebook back to him to see her writing, he smirked then put his hand to stop the notebook coming to his way._

 _"Didn't you notice what this is, Granger?" He pointed the notebook they had been holding._

 _"Well from what it looks and its function, it definitely is a notebook. What else could it be, Malfoy?" She answered casually._

 _"Not just your ordinary muggle notebook, I reckon. This is a magical notebook,_ _ **The Nuntius-Libera Notebook**_ _specifically."_

 _"The what?" She asked spontaneously, couldn't hold back her curiosity toward the notebook she has been writing in._

 _"The Nuntius-Libera, latin for The Message-Deliver. This notebook however couldn't fully function without its other half-"_

 _"Other half? You mean there's another one of it?"_

 _"Didn't your mother told you it's rude to interrupt, Granger?" He said looking annoyed._

 _"Sorry."_

 _"Nevermind. And yes, Granger. There's another one.._

 _He opened his bag searching for the thing he has been referring._

 _"Here is the other one." He showed her the very same notebook like the one she was holding, there just a mere difference like instead of brown, the notebook Malfoy was holding is grey with silver linings on its sides. It slight reminded her with the color of their eyes; her golden brown one, and his platinum grey one. What a coincidence._

 _"You don't need to give me your notebook right after you write on it, because.._

 _He opened his notebook and showed her the writing on its first page. She gasped because she recognised that handwriting! It was hers! And it was the very same sentences she had written on her notebook just a moment prior._

 _It'll be written on my notebook." He said looking satisfied._

 _"This! Oh! It's brilliant! Where did you get it, Malfoy?" She asked him lightly._

 _"Christmas present from my aunt. Now, enough talking. Let just go back to our reading." He answered._

 _She still in awe with these 2 magical notebooks placed in their library desk. How come she never discovered it before Malfoy brought it up to her? She should read more about magical things from now on! Her thoughts were interrupted by something appearing on her notebook, and it turned out to be his reply for her earlier question. She just smile and wrote another response to him. Silly, wasn't it? They're sitting facing one another and instead of talking they just writting to one another for the sake of silence for this place._

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 _"Malfoy, wait!" She rushed up to him when he was just about to leave the library._

 _"Miss me already, Granger?" He teased with a smirk playing on his mouth._

 _"Of course.." She answered sarcastically._

 _"Here.. I just want to return it." She gave him the notebook he gave her earlier._

 _"Just keep it for the next meeting, Granger." With that, he left her standing alone in the library with The Nuntius-Libera Notebook, her Nuntius-Libera Notebook._

 _》_ _END OF FLASHBACK 》_

After that night, they had been using the The Nuntius-Libera Notebooks more frequently, on classes writing insults for one another or sometimes just discussing a subject of the class. Some other time, they used it on lunch or dinner time at the great hall, they used it as much as a friend would talk to another about everything. 'Friend' she cringed at the word. Their relationship had gone from enemy to.. What? Friends? No. Not yet. Library company? Maybe. And that is the reason why they write to each other instead of talking to one another, because they're only library company. Not friends, yet.

 **None of your business, Malfoy.**

She wrote a response to him.

He glared at her from the seat in front of her.

 _ **Bad day it is.**_

Another words appeared on her notebook slowly.

 **What do you care?**

She then returned his glare

 _ **Shouldn't you be up in your common room gossiping with your fellow gryffindors regarding tomorrow's event?**_

 **You know better than I do that it was such a waste of time.**

 _ **And reading Hogwarts A History for the hundred times was not?**_

He shot her the infamous malfoy smirk.

She chose not to reply him until another words appeared on her notebook.

 _ **Don't you need to prepare yourself for tomorrow, Granger?**_

 **I don't think I'll be going tomorrow.**

 _ **And may I ask, why is that?**_

 **I think you know better than I do.**

She can hear he slowly chuckled at her response.

 _ **No date, Granger?**_

He rose an eyebrow when he flashed her another smirk.

 **Go ahead! Mock me all you want! Tell me I'm not good enough that even the hufflepuffs wouldn't set their eyes on me! Merlin! You boys are such a jerk!**

She wrote furiously causing her handwriting to messed up a bit.

 ** _I would never. So it was all about that? Did Potter and Weasel said that?_**

The smirk on his face suddenly turned into a frown.

 **Ron.**

 _ **And you are furious about that? Oh come on! You're better than that, Granger!**_

 **Well, you weren't the one who was humiliated by your best friend about your appearances and your lack of date for tomorrow's event!**

That. She had had enough. She couldn't handle any boys in the way right now. They are all the same; no brain and no heart. All of them!

She furiously grabbed her belongings then started walking out of the library when he called her. In the empty corridor in front of the library, his voice sounded a little too loud.

"Granger!"

"Granger wait!" He ran, catching up to her.

"You forget this." He gave her the notebook. Her notebook.

"It's yours, remember?" She answered annoyed.

"Well.. I gave it to you, remember?" He replied.

"I think there'll be no need of that anymore. We won't be having another meeting. I'm done with boys."

"You couldn't be serious! I didn't even say anything close to what the weasel said!"

"Your usual self has always irritated me much more than what Ron has said to me. Now, excuse me if you may.." She ignored him then continue on walking.

"Granger!" He once again ran up to her.

"What do you want, Malfoy? Want to brag about how every girls in this school were asking you to be their date?"

"You're being delusional."

"Very well observed.."

"It just.. Just take it." He shoved the notebook to her hand and looking quite nervous? Draco Malfoy was nervous?

"Okay. Happy now? Bye." With that she continued on walking.

"Hey, Granger!"

"What again?" She stopped walking then turned to face him.

"You might want to see your notebook." He said with a smirk.

She didn't know why but she followed his instruction and opened the notebook slowly only to find there is a new words appeared on her notebook; it said

 _ **Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?**_

She gasped, then looked up to find Malfoy smirking like the biggest git he is.

"Stop blushing, Granger. People might think I've kissed you, _or worse_ , slapped you." He said that made her face even redder because he brought up the 'slap' incident last year.

She would make him pay for this. Making her blush like this. And she just knew the right thing to get back on him.

She made her way toward him, a little closer, a little more closer, until they're now just a mere inch from each other.

"Wha- What are you doing, Granger?" She could tell by his tone that he is deadly nervous at the moment.

She leaned closer to give him a peck on his cheek that made all his body heat found their way to his cheeks making him blush like a teenage girl.

She backed away with a winning smirk on her lips.

"Stop blushing, Malfoy. People might think I've slapped you, _or worse_ , kissed you." With that, she left him completely speechless and still blushing in the empty corridor.

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Later that day, when Draco Malfoy opened his notebook, he found a newly appeared words written in there, it said:

 **Yes. I will**

And once again in that very same day, Draco Malfoy blushed like a teenage girl

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FINITE


End file.
